Argentinian Patagonia - Adventure Travel Guide
Argentinian Patagonia - Adventure Travel Guide
Jasmine Win
Destinations:
El Calafate, El Chaltén, & Ushuaia
This guide is to share my tips and recommendations for transportation around Argentinian Patagonia, places to eat & drink, and places to explore. There are 52 recommendations included with an interactive map to help you plan your adventure.
These are mostly personal recommendations from my 10-day trip with a friend.
Route:
My friend and I flew from Buenos Aires to El Calafate.
We stayed in El Calafate for a few nights, and then we took a bus to El Chaltén.
We stayed in El Chaltén for a few nights and took a bus back to El Calfate for a night. The next morning, we flew to Ushuaia.
We stayed in Ushuaia for a few nights and then flew back to Buenos Aires.
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Internet
The internet (using my phone data) and free wifi seemed to work fine in El Calafate and Ushuaia. I didn't do any actual work during this time, so I'm not sure how either place would be for remote working.
In El Chaltén, I didn't have any cellphone signal. The wifi at our Airbnb was also really bad, so we were mostly disconnected during our time there. Not all restaurants and cafes we went to in El Chaltén had wifi either.
Weather
I was in Patagonia during the second and third week of February, which is the summer season. The weather was chillier in Patagonia than in Buenos Aires. I recommend packing layers that you can take on and off as needed. If you're trying to pack light, you can also rent warm gear in many of these places.
A lot of places (and trails) in Patagonia are closed during their winter season.
El Calafate Recommendations
Transportation
We flew into El Calafate from Buenos Aires. In the El Calafate airport, you can book a bus into town for $7 one way.
Here's information about the bus:
https://aeropuertoelcalafate.com/en/services.php
Uber does not work in El Calafate. So once we got into town, we walked everywhere on foot. There's mostly just one main strip with restaurants, cafes, and shops.
Aeropuerto Internacional Comandante Armando Tola de El Calafate
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El Calafate Bus Terminal
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Accommodations
América del Sur Hostel Calafate
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I did not stay here, but this place was recommended to me by a friend. She says it's a bit pricier than other hostels, but the amenities are worth it. The restaurant food is good, there are awesome work spaces in the main lobby area, and they offer a whole catalog of tours, laundry service, and airport transfer.
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Restaurants & Cafes
Buenos Cruces Pasta Bar
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This restaurant was recommended to me. I tried their carbonara pasta, and it was too salty for me. However, the pear cider that they have is delicious.
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Casimiro Bigua
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My friend and I had the steak dinner here and thought it was pretty good. I also had a glass of their house Malbec wine and enjoyed it. It was the best Malbec I had in Argentina. (I rarely drink wine so take this with a grain of salt.)
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Chocolates Patagonia
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My friend and I stopped by here to try the submarino drink, which is a bar of dark chocolate melted inside a glass of hot milk and stirred with a spoon.
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La Tablita
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I did not go here, but this is another highly-rated restaurant for grilled meats.
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Morrison Restaurant
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I did not go here, but this restaurant was recommended to me by a friend.
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Shopping
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Supermercado Del Cerro
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This is another grocery store that is available up the hill.
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Paseo De Artesanos Jorge Echeverria
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This is a cute little outdoor market. There are not a lot of stalls/vendors though.
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Sightseeing
Perito Moreno Glacier
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This is the main attraction for visiting El Calafate. We booked a tour through this company:
https://www.denomades.com/el-calafate/full-day-glaciar-perito-moreno-id383
We did not do the additional boat tour option, however, I wish we did as that would have given us a different perspective of the glaciers. We also finished the boardwalk early with a lot of time to spare.
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Reserva Laguna Nimez
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We didn't have time to do this, but I read it's a great place to watch the sunset.
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El Chaltén Recommendations
Transportation
Uber does not work in El Chaltén. During our time there, we just went everywhere on foot. There are only a few streets with restaurants, cafes, and shops, so you don't need a car.
Terminal de Ómnibus El Chalten
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Restaurants & Cafes
La Lomiteria El Chalten
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My friend and I shared a burger and a lomito sandwich. Both were good, but I liked the lomito sandwich more.
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Resto El Muro
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My friend and I stopped here for dinner after a long day of hiking to Fitz Roy. This restaurant is very close to the trailhead. I had the stew, and it was good. Unfortunately, this place has no wifi.
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La Esquina Chalten - desayunos, almuerzos, cenas. Viandas, lunch box
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My friend and I shared the locro and osobuco risotto. Both were really good. I also tried yerba matte here. This place also does lunchboxes.
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Chica Ramen
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The vegetables used in the ramen are unconventional, but the broth was pretty good. This is the only Asian restaurant in town.
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The Asadores
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My friend and I did the tasting menu from here. We both enjoyed our meals and thought it was a good value.
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Bourbon Smokehouse
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This is a good place to grab a drink and a bite after hiking. It has a very lively atmosphere.
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Meme's Cakes - Pasteleria & Casa de Té
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This is a small but cute cafe for an afternoon coffee break. I stopped by here to pick up some sweets. This place also sells lunchboxes.
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Heladería Domo Blanco
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This is a nice ice cream shop with a variety of flavors. I had the calafate berry flavor, and it was good.
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Shopping
Viento Oeste
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This shop has a good selection of outdoor gear for purchase and for rent. I picked up a cute neck warmer from here.
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BajoZero
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We rented a locker from here to store our stuff in after we checked out of our Airbnb. They also sell a variety of gear as well as offer rentals.
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Supermercado Souvenir y Artesanías
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This is a mix between a grocery store and a souvenir shop. I picked up an ear-warmer headband from here.
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Marcopolo
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This is a small bookstore with some souvenirs. I got some stickers and a postcard from here.
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Sightseeing
Sendero al Fitz Roy
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This was a very difficult but highly rewarding trail. We were on the trail for about 9-10 hours. The viewpoint is AMAZING. I recommend ensuring you have enough water as it's a long hike. I did see several people filling up their bottles with river water on the way back.
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Chorrillo del Salto
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This trail is fairly easy and a good option to squeeze in on a rest day. We enjoyed hanging out at the waterfall.
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Laguna Torre Trail
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My friend and I did this trail on a slightly rainy day, so we only walked to the first viewpoint.
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Ushuaia Recommendations
Transportation
Uber does work in Ushuaia. However, a few Uber drivers in Ushuaia asked us to sit in the front passenger seat, so it may not be widely accepted there yet. If you're staying in town, you can walk to most places. Our Airbnb was a bit outside of town, so we had to use Uber.
We took a bus to and from Tierra del Fuego National Park.
Bus Terminal of Ushuaia
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This bus station is just a small booth. We booked a bus to Tierra del Fuego National Park from here. You can also book buses to other popular hiking trails and attractions.
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Restaurants & Cafes
El Mercado Ushuaia
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I had the Milanese Napolitana and liked it. The portion size was huge. I only managed to eat half.
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La Cabaña Beer Point
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This is a cool, outdoorsy pub close to Glacier Martial. It was about a 20-minute taxi ride from the center to get here. My friend and I both enjoyed the burgers and fries we got.
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La Cabaña Tea House
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This tea house is adjacent to the Beer Point restaurant. We stopped by to pick up a slice of cake from here. It was a cute spot.
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Tante Sara Pastelería & Café
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My friend and I picked up sandwiches and pastries from here. This is a great spot to grab some food for a hike.
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Volver
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We came here primarily to try the whole king crab. However, they were out of stock, so we had the paella. It was decent.
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Isabel Cocina al Disco
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My friend and I shared the steak stew here, and it was decent.
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Laguna Negra
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Nice shop to pick up some chocolates. We tried the calafate berry one, and it was yummy. Our tour guide recommended this place to try the submarino (hot chocolate) drink.
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El Viejo Marino
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This is the most popular place to try king crab in Ushuaia. We waited in line for 30+ minutes for the restaurant to open. Once we got in, we were told that they were out of stock, so we left.
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Tia Elvira
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I was recommended this place to try king crab. My friend and I waited at a table for 15 minutes with no service, so we left. However, the person who recommended it to me said the king crab was good.
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La Casa de Los Mariscos
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DON'T RECOMMEND:
This was the 4th restaurant we went to in search of whole king crab. We finally got the whole king crab, but it was not worth it. This place charged $180 for the whole crab, and there was barely any meat inside.
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Shopping
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La Anónima
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Sightseeing
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Isla Martillo
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We did a penguin tour to go to this island. However, since we did not go with Piratour, we were not allowed to walk on the island.
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Tierra del Fuego National Park
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We visited this park to do the Laguna Esmeralda hike. You can take a bus here from town.
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Laguna Esmeralda
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This is a fairly easy hike with a lot of beautiful scenery. The trail can get quite muddy though.
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Glaciar Martial Ushuaia
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This is another popular hike you can do in Ushuaia. We did not do this one.
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Southern Fuegian Railway
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We did not do the 'end of the world' train ride, however, it's one of the popular attractions.
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